Snap fastener stud



Dec. 19, 1939. R O, CHAFFEE 2,184,250

' SNAP FASTENER STUD Original Filed March 5, 1937 law 02230::

In? mend ab'fiqffee. 5' Q5223 Patented Dec. 19, 1939 SNAP FAs'rENER.STUD Raymond 0. Chaffee, Belmont, Mass assignor to United-Carr FastenerCorporatiom. Cam- 7 bridge, Mass, a corporation of MassachusettsOriginal application March 5, 1937, Serial'No.' 129,215. Divided andthis application Decemher- 3, 1937, Serial No. 177,963

2 Claims. (o1. 24-213) My invention. aimsto. provide improvements insnap fastener studs particularly for use-in attaching hollowmetalmoldings.

Reference is hereby made to my Serial No. 129,215, filed March 5,1937,which contains claims to the method of making my im proved stud and ofwhich this application is a CllVlSlOll.

Referring to the drawing in whichfI have illustrateda preferredembodiment of my invention:

Figure 1 is a rear View of an installation showing my improvedstud-member;

Fig.2 isasectiontakenalong the line 2-2 of 1; y

Fig. 3 is a rear viewshowing a molding strip with my improved'fastenersin position for securing a molding strip to a support;

Fig, 4 is a top view of my improved fastener member per se;

Fig.5 is a bottom view of the fastener. shown in Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a section taken along the line 6-6 of Fig.

Fig. '7 is a section taken along the line 1'l of Fig. 4; and I Fig. 8 isa side view of the fastener member shown in Fig. 4.

My invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawing; isparticularly, though not exclusively, adapted for use in attachingmolding strips and the like to a metal support and includes a one-piecemetal fastener for accomplishing the desired result.

The particular parts chosen to illustrate the use of my improvedfastener include a relatively narrow molding strip 1 such as is nowfrequently used on the bodies of automobiles and elsewhere and arelatively thin supporting member 2. It should be understood, however,that this is not the sole use of my improved fastener and that it may beused to fasten other parts together.

The molding strip l is of the type having an aperture 3 running thewhole length of one of its sides, the aperture having a width greatenough to permit passage of the socket-engaging portion of the fastener.The continuous aperture 3 permits adjustment of the fastener in anydesirable position. The supporting member 2 is preferably of relativelythin material having circular aperture 4 to receive the socket-engagingportions of the fastener.

The stud member which is the subject of my present invention is of thetype having a base plate and a socket-engaging head portion pressed fromthe base, the head portion being divided by application 5 a slitintotworesilient/portions for engagement with a cooperating aperture. I amaware that it is well known in the art to divide a'stud head by a singleslit into two resilient portions, but my stud member, though broadlylike 7 previously known-fasteners, is constructed in a particular wayto'have advantages, such as capability of providing'a drawing action and'an adaptability to various-thicknesses of -metal, which is directed toan improvement in the art.

Referring to my fastener per se, I have shown a simple one-piece deviceformed from a relatively small blank. The stud member has an elongatedrectangular base 5 and ahead portion pressedfromthebase. The headportion is made resilient by a slit 1 extending entirely through thehead and into the base (Figs.,3, 4 and 5) lengthwise of the base. Thehead portion is thus divided by the slit into two petals 8 having thesame contour and cross-section. At one step in formation of thefastener, the head portion 6 1 preferably is pinched very slightly nearits junction with the base 5 so asto form a slight bulge in the head onthe other side of the pinched portionfrom the base. It is important tonote, however, that .the aforementioned bulge is not sufficientlyprotuberant to act as a shoulder means for holding two pieces ofmaterial together in normal use of the fastener. In order that propersupport-engaging shoulder means may be proso Y vided the petals arespread apart so that opposed free edges ti -9 of the petals adjacent theslot extend from the base in parallel relation for a predetermineddistance and then diverge toward the free end of the head as mostclearly shown in Fig. 7. When the spreading of the petals 8 is completethe head 6 is then circular in crosssection adjacent to the base 5(Figs. 5, 6 and 7) and oval in cross-section as the petals 8 diverge(Figs. 1 and 4) Thus the same time the surfaces of the petals 8 divergein substantially straight lines from points near the base beforeconverging to form the guide means so as to provide gradually taperingportions 9-9 (Fig. 7). As a result of the construction hereinabovedescribed the petals are provided with tapering shoulder means l -9 onthe sides facing the longitudinal edges of the base 5 (Fig. 7), but thepetals are substantially shoulderless at sides 99 (Figs. 4 and 8)immediately adjacent the slit 7 which face the transverse edges of thebase (Figs. 6 and 8).

Assembly of the component parts of theinstallation may be effected byfirst sliding into the molding the bases of as many fasteners as thereorder to restrain longitudinal movement of the fasteners relative to themolding after they have once been assembled in proper position the basesof the fasteners are preferably arched lengthwise, as most clearly shownin Figs. 6 and 8, providing a slight resiliency in the base forengagement with the sides of the molding. In the next step the headportions of the fasteners are inserted through the circular apertures 4of the supporting member. As a result of the relatively straighttapering broad sides of the petals a drawing action takes place duringinsertion of the head portions into the apertures l of the support 2causing the material of the molding adjacent the aperture 3 to be drawntightly against the support so as to prevent any looseness between theparts. Also, the particular construction of the shank 9 of my fastenerprovides a tight fastening even though the parts may have Variousthicknesses.

Thus, my fastener member has had great commercial usefulness due to itssingle-slot construction whereby it provides a base sufficiently narrowto be assembled with a narrow molding strip such as that hereinabovementioned, and also, a socket-engaging portion of sufficient size andstrength to hold firmly a molding in tight abutting relation to asupporting member.

While I have illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of myinvention, I do not wish to be limited thereby because the scope of myinvention is best defined by the following claims.

I claim:

1. A snap fastener stud member having a base and a head portionextending from and integral with the central portion of said base, saidhead portion comprising a pair of substantially identical resilientpetals having diverging shoulders for engagement with a socket member,said head and said base having a slit dividing the same into saidpetals, and said petals diverging progressively away from each otherbeginning where they join the base to provide said shoulder means onopposed surfaces for said stud to adjust itself to parts of variousthicknesses, said head being substantially circular in cross-sectionadjacent to where it joins the base and being oval in crosssection atthe diverging portions thereby permitting insertioninto a hole thediameter of the circular portion of said head by a snap action.

2. A snap fastener stud member comprising a base and a stud portionintegral therewith and extending from the central part of said base,said stud and a substantial portion of the base being divided axially,providing an elongated slot in said base and opposed duplicate petals ofapproximately semi-cylindrical form, said petals extending from the basein diverging relation to each other presenting a slotted stud memberwith progressively sloping sides along one medial plane, said stud beingsubstantially circular in cross section where it joins the base, thehead end being of elongated circular cross section, said opposed petalsbeing resiliently compressible toward each other in the plane of itsgreatest diameter of the head end, thereby permitting insertion of thestud into a substantially circular aperture by a snap action.

RAYMOND O. CHAFFEE.

